Southern California -- this just in

Not a single arrest on first night of LAPD Dodger Stadium crackdown [Updated]

April 15, 2011 | 7:03
am

The first night of the Los Angeles Police Department's crackdown on rowdy behavior at Dodger Stadium did not result in a single arrest Thursday, and fans were largely peaceful, Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Jos‪‪‪e Perez said.

Hundreds of LAPD were on hand at the stadium.

Perez said 38 people were cited for misconduct such as having an open alcohol container. But no one was taken into custody. [Updated at 10:04 a.m.: The Los Angeles Police Department has updated the number of citations issued to 46.]

Perez said the focus going forward at the stadium should be on baseball.

"The game should be memorable not regrettable," he said.

The LAPD made good on its promise to be visible as fans left the game. Officers stood outside numerous exits and patrolled the parking lots around Dodger Stadium on foot, bicycle, horse and motorcycle. Police cruisers circulated with yellow lights flashing on their roofs.

“They’re very obvious,” said Alan Koch, 50, a Missouri visitor who walked to his car with 9-year-old son, Max, on his shoulders. “They make a couple of us St. Louis fans feel better.”

Several people noted that the parking lots seemed quieter than usual. As one man said: “Weirdly so.”

That was just fine by Chris Christopherson, 30, of Los Angeles, who said: “I feel really safe.”

Before the game, Dodgers officials filled two tour buses with reporters and sent them out to inspect the stadium's new security measures. Lines of patrol cars filled one end of the parking lot and circles of LAPD officers huddled nearby, prepping for the evening. A big screen in the back of a GMC Yukon showed a zoomed-in aerial view of the lot from a police helicopter.

The Dodgers plan to create a computer mapping and crime-tracking system similar to one used by the LAPD to scrutinize crime patterns and hot spots throughout Los Angeles.

After the assault two weeks ago that left paramedic Bryan Stow, 42, of Santa Cruz in a coma, team officials and the Los Angeles Police Department promised more uniformed officers. Police are still looking for two suspects who beat the Giants fan in the parking lot after the opening day game.